Can't Shake You
by JeffC FTW
Summary: He couldn't shake him no matter how hard he tried. ItaSasu, yaoi.


**Please do not hate me for doing this, but I was inspired by a song I was listening to, "Can't Shake You" by Gloriana, which became the oneshot title as well. Sasuke and Sakura in modern times are going through a divorce, but it's for far deeper reasons than expected. A couple times lately with a new oneshot for the Uchiha brothers, people called me sick names and said horrid things I refuse to repeat, but this makes great story material I know good and well. I have a right just as much as the rest of you to bring it to life. :(**

 **Yaoi, incest and so on are in here, so if you don't like, then leave now. Otherwise, if you like and want to review, NO FLAMES. Flamers are always doused in ice-cold water for their foul language and insults.**

 **Naruto and its characters do NOT belong to me.**

He was at his office desk when the door was knocked on. "Come in," he said tiredly, and in strolled his secretary, Karin. She had an envelope of dark army green in her hand, and he knew instantly what it was. "Thanks, Karin."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you," she said, and when she turned to leave, her mane of fire flipped behind her, making him shake his head as he opened the folder to find that not only his signature was there, but also _hers_. He smiled for a moment before it was gone. Relief washed over him, yet he couldn't help but feel guilty. _It had to happen,_ he kept telling himself over and over, but it wouldn't erase the hollow in his gut. He was alone again. Stability gone for because he mustered the courage to end the lie he had been living. It was far more advanced than it had been when he removed his wedding ring, leaving his hand completely naked in a figurative sense.

They'd met with the lawyers and settled everything out in a short two months' time, whilst keeping Sarada at a distance. He agreed to everything: the splitting of the retirement funds, the current earnings they once shared, the house, and he even let her have custody of their nine-year-old. Which she would soon find out. He would miss her, but it was for the best. She deserved better than being around a father who was tainted mentally and emotionally. He would still see her on weekends, vacations and holidays.

Sasuke Uchiha leaned back in his chair with ease, but his mind and soul were far from feeling serenity.

He just couldn't keep up this lie anymore.

He married Sakura Haruno, his best friend from when they were children, because he couldn't have the one he wanted most. He was thirteen when he was rejected after once kissing said person, being told it was wrong in every level of societal norms. He was told he would never match up to the family name. And here he was now, Vice President of the family business while the one in question was ever above him, perfect in every aspect and still calling him such. Sasuke thought that by marrying Sakura, whom he really cared about, he would get back at Itachi - but Itachi Uchiha, the pride and joy, didn't seem affected. Of course, the bastard wouldn't be.

When Sarada was born, Itachi was proud to be an uncle and spoiled her to pieces, much to her father's disapproval. "Foolish little brother," the elder deadpanned once when they were alone, "you only live once. At least allow her to enjoy herself while she still can. It's a chance you should have taken yourself."

As if he _hadn't!_ Sasuke spent his life trying to catch up and then surpass his big brother, but even Father would just state how average he was compared to Itachi. Mother loved both her sons even, but she couldn't ever stand up to Fugaku. Even so, Sasuke was always the next to be noticed, and beneath the shining star that was his _aniki_.

Fugaku and Mikoto adored their granddaughter as well, but it seemed Uncle Itachi was the one who spoiled her the most. But when she was five years old, they both were found involved in a conspiracy regarding taking over the biggest competition - actually, it was their father, and their mother just happened to be involved just because, and she paid the price. They were both found in an eventual murder-suicide scene in their bedroom before they could face the authorities. It seemed Fugaku killed his wife and then himself to avoid the shame.

It had been Sasuke to find the truth out, and as a result, his relationship with his brother was more broken than ever. But he gave up caring a long time ago.

Sarada would never know about this, not until she was older, and Sakura was adamant about telling the girl that her grandparents had done something so wretched. The hospital she ran now was among to be supported by Uchiha Corp. fundings, which her husband and brother-in-law took care of now.

Glancing at the clock, he saw it was approaching his lunch break, but just before he could stand, he found himself looking at the photograph that had been his and Sakura's wedding day. He remembered how beautiful she'd been in that dress with the long-sleeved lace bodice and dreamy skirt, the little golden chains draping from her ears which made the inner lining of her pastel-colored hair sparkle. With a sigh, he reached and started to take it off the edge of his desk, but he hesitated. On one hand, he wanted to keep it there just because it was a happy time, but on the other hand, it was a reminder of how he pretended to be happy and couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.

Decision made, Sasuke took that "happy" memento off and placed it into the bottom metal drawer of his desk.

He and Sakura would have dinner tonight, formal and one last time as husband and wife. Sarada would be with her uncle then and for the rest of the weekend.

~o~

"Have fun, sweetie," Sakura told her daughter, kneeling down and kissing the girl's forehead, then stood up to make eye contact with the brother of the man she used to love, but who actually never returned the feelings to her even though he _tried._ She'd seen it, known it for years, yet they'd remained together for the sake of their daughter. _Until now._

"Bye, Mommy," Sarada answered, hugging her around the waist. "And kiss Daddy for me?" She was nine years old and still so loving and trustworthy, but her mother was worried that trust would be shattered when she would have to eventually break the news that she and her father were never getting back together.

Sakura nodded her promise and tapped her forehead once, in the way Sasuke did for her - and used to do for the pinkette as well. He'd said that his brother used to do it to him when they were children. It was a unique sign of affection.

Itachi chuckled and leaned off to the side as he watched. "Take care of her," Sakura warned, beaming, but inside, she was far from happy. "We're just going to have dinner and spend some time together this weekend."

 _In reality, I'm alone at the house, but I could always call Ino and Temari. And Sasuke could...he could do whatever he wants. He gets his new apartment next week anyway._

"Don't worry, Sakura. I've never broken my promise for years," the man with the long ponytail and some of his brother's features assured her as he picked up the girl and hauled her up, her legs wrapping around his waist for support. She nodded and left them both to walk right to her car, and as soon as she was inside, started the engine and put her hands on the wheel, she found herself looking at her engagement and wedding rings. Both rose-gold, the first having the exotic pink diamond ringed with white, and the thin band placed with the same star-studs. At first she considered taking them and breaking them into little pieces herself, but she planned to give them to her ex-husband so he could do the deed.

 _I loved you, Sasuke, but ever since you told me the truth about your preference, you were so ashamed to live with it, and you could never tell me before you asked me to marry you. But this shows you really wanted to be happy with me..._ She sighed sadly and looked ahead at the road.

"But in the end, it wasn't enough," Sakura said softly as she found the restaurant where he was waiting for her. Inside, there he was, handsome as ever, out of his business suit, sad and tired at the same time.

"Sakura," he said in greeting, motioning for her to take a seat across the table in their booth.

"Sasuke," she replied, dropping her purse into her spot. "I left her with your brother." He nodded without a word, then picked up his menu, and she followed suit. Might as well order first and then discuss. She didn't want them to be on awkward and unpleasant terms, because they'd known each other all their lives. They were going to try and stay friendly for Sarada's sake...but she wasn't the only one to worry about.

He never told his brother, but when did they ever talk anymore when it didn't involve unwanted family events, or even Sarada? This always worried Sakura, because her husband would never tell her WHY he and Itachi hated each other. He only said that his brother called him weak and foolish, and because of what his parents did, they were never going to reconcile despite working at the same place. It was hard enough for Sasuke to do something for himself and work for a brother he hated at the same time. Sakura was glad she didn't have to work directly for Itachi Uchiha, ran her own hospital and received the donations on occasion.

There was only one highlight: she and Sasuke were both pleased that Itachi took great pride with Sarada, the light of their lives who was still keeping them together.

~o~

Something was not sitting right with his niece tonight.

He loved Sarada. When she was born, the moment he saw the little bundle of joy in her mother's arms, he shed the first real tear when he could not remember the last time he had. It took him back to the time her father had been born, and newborn Sasuke took his big brother's finger into his the moment he entered the world and was placed into their mother's arms.

Sasuke was the most precious thing he'd ever seen. He swore to protect this innocence no matter what. Just as he swore to do the same to his daughter - to _both of them._

He never returned what _otouto_ felt for him because it was incest, it was all forbidden, and it was for Sasuke's protection as well as their family. Imagine if Fugaku separated them and disowned HIM. He could not do that to Sasuke, so he did the hardest thing ever, and the younger never forgave him for it. Both their hearts broke, but Itachi could never let anyone see. He had no choice in any matter. He did this for both their sakes.

He was surprised when, ten years after that, Sasuke announced that, a year after joining the family company after finishing university in the states, he had proposed marriage to Sakura Haruno who had one more year of medical school here in Konoha. He had always assumed Sasuke would find a man since the then thirteen-year-old had made it blatantly clear girls made him sick, and he only loved the pinkette as a friend. But he'd been proven wrong, it seemed. Two years after the marriage, their daughter was born.

Sarada looked like her mother, but had her father's hair and eyes, and her eyesight was strangely poor, so she had to wear spectacles. But it didn't make her sweet even less. She was studious, at top of her class, but sometimes she was teased because of who her family was, unlike when her father and uncle had been worshipped by a fangirl base in their younger days. Though Itachi could see her being a great Uchiha beauty one day...or rather, a combination of both her parents, he thought with a proud smile as he brought out the treats that he made specially for them to share without a scold from her mother.

"You spoil her too much with your sweet tooth addiction," Sakura once told him blandly, with a wicked smile as she was apparently conjuring up ways to slug him for giving her young daughter rotten teeth at a young age.

However, when he opened the pink box, he showed her all the tri-colored dumplings he got from the tea shop, but her face fell when she ate only one ball from the first stick. He frowned. "Sara-chan, what is the matter?" He lifted his hand and placed it on her little forehead. She didn't have a fever, so it had to be something she heard. From her parents? School? She could talk to her Uncle Itachi about anything.

"Nothing," she mumbled, taking a small bite from the next, but he stopped her.

"Don't lie to me, angel. I can tell something is troubling you. You know you can talk to your _oji-san_ about anything, right?" he told her lightly. She brightened up, but only a fraction.

"Okay." She paused to take a deep breath and then asked him, "Uncle...what's a divorce?"

Time had frozen then and there. His blood and organs turned to ice when his niece asked him a question she was too young to understand. Well, she was nine, so becoming the age where she would have to learn what these things were. "Sarada, where did this come from?" Itachi asked carefully, sitting down beside her on the lounge of his apartment. Her eyes grew wide like those of a puppy craving attention.

"I heard Mom and Dad talking about it," she answered. "I heard the word and didn't know what it was...but I didn't like it."

There was no question what Sasuke and Sakura were talking about that they tried to hide from their daughter. His...his brother and sister-in-law were getting a _divorce?_

Sarada was scared over something she didn't understand. He hated to admit she had a right to be, but he would NOT be the one to cause her more distress than she already had. "It's nothing you should be worried about, Sara-chan," he said gently, putting his hand on her shoulder. "But I promise you I will do my best and see what is going on."

In the end, she would be broken either way. For that, he intended to talk to his brother even if Sasuke didn't want to speak to him.

All these years, he and his younger brother seldom communicated unless it regarded Sarada. He had done so much to Sasuke, and it seemed just being there for him and his family wasn't enough. Although he wanted to know, namely, the reason behind this separation, and he had a feeling he wouldn't like it any more than now...

~o~

He walked separate ways from her without trouble. She went to her car and he to his motorcycle - the one thing he owned himself and would enjoy in his newfound freedom. He didn't ask her what she would be doing now that Sarada was with Itachi, but he trusted she would be safe. _The both of them._

Sasuke thought he would enjoy his rediscovered bachelorhood. The deed had been done in ending a loveless marriage, he could hope that his ex and best friend would find someone who could give her what she deserved best, so he should be relieved. But somehow...his soul was craving for something more. He felt like he was alone. There was one person to blame, but Sakura was far from it, and Sarada did not deserve to be blamed for something she had no control over.

 _Damn you, Itachi._

He pulled his black leather jacket over himself, one of the things that Itachi gave him at one point when he'd gotten older, and he had sorely been tempted to throw it away back at him, but instead he'd kept it without even a word of thank you. It had been shortly after Itachi had been promoted to their father's old position - and it was one of his brother's old things. He never bothered to ask Itachi why he gave it to him.

Naruto would want to have a guys' night out tonight, but he wasn't in the mood. He just wanted Friday night all to himself. Pour a drink after a drink, maybe try and break out of his shell he should have explored more of himself when he was still a teenager, but because he had been such a coward thanks to the one he'd loved more than anything in the world, he was forced to hide his sexuality - until he finally came out to Sakura five months ago.

His other best friend would have told him he didn't deserve to go through life hiding what he really was. But as he said before to himself, he wanted to be alone tonight and maybe have a quickie if he got lucky. Naruto would be lucky and happy to be with the wife and children he still had. _At least he has the opportunity that I took and it wasn't what I ever dreamed of. It was just a failed attempt to ignore what my heart could never get over._

He reached the bar in no time, parking his cycle and keeping his jacket on, looking and feeling cool. It was this kind of attitude that got both sex sides' attention. It could work to his advantage, not that he gave himself too much credit. There wasn't anyone in Konoha who didn't know the Uchiha brothers.

Five shots down, and he was feeling light - and perhaps an hour later, he got his luck.

"Well, a good-looking one like you shouldn't be having a drink by yourself on a Friday night." The guy who spoke was blond, but it wasn't Naruto. His eyes were green, and his hair was slicked down the middle and cut behind the ears. His features were sharp and almost feminine, marking him attractive enough. Sasuke's body stirred from both the deepening effects from the liquor as well as this man's looks and his scent.

~o~

 _"Why won't you, Itachi?!"_

 _"Keep your voice down,_ otouto. _And the answer is as I keep telling you: it is immoral and a sin. You're young and confused. We are_ brothers. _The word means we shared the same mother's womb, hence the same blood flows in our veins. Do you know what happens when the same blood mixes? It becomes something tainted, and you think I want to do that to the brother I have loved and protected since the day he was born?"_

 _"I don't believe you at all. You're too scared because of Father. I hate you then, Itachi, and I'll hate you until the day you die. It's highly likely you'll go before me."_

Itachi Uchiha would never forget those cruel words. They cut him worse than when he had learned he was to one day take Fugaku's place. It was set for him the day he was born. Sasuke would have no burdens...except fighting for approval and attention. Being in his brother's shadow, and today even so despite Itachi putting him as his Vice President. They still never spoke outside the workforce.

Today, he was doing what a big brother should do. He had no choice but to take Sarada with him, despite this being a risky move, because it would compromise trust with the man who made her. He was searching all of Konoha for Sasuke, without talking to his ex-wife who would only say that he was a grown man and could take care of himself. "Uncle, why are we going?" she asked from the backseat. He sighed behind the wheel.

"We are to make sure that your father doesn't get himself into trouble."

She looked worriedly. "What would Daddy do?"

Itachi clenched the wheel in his hands. "Trust me when I say it's something I wouldn't do." She narrowed her eyes but said nothing. She was growing to become more sensory than the average child her age ever would.

It was then and there that he spotted Sasuke from afar and bared his teeth disgustedly. _Just like that, huh? You break up your marriage with the most blessed child to finally explore that part of you, am I right? Why didn't you do this before you thought to marry her, foolish little brother?_

Sarada, thankfully, was too busy looking out at the window on the other side to even see her father, who was just now getting onto his motorcycle with the blond man who wasn't Naruto on his back. It appeared little brother must have had one too many, but he was sober enough to drive himself and his apparent "drinking buddy" back to wherever the hell they were going. Itachi wasted no time revving the engine and following them, keeping a safe distance even though Sasuke might not notice they were being followed.

If he noticed his elder brother tailing him, the bets were off.

~o~

Clothes were being torn off of bodies, mouths crashing hungrily against the other, and tumbling onto the bed of the small motel room his unnamed partner was staying at. There was no need to learn the identity, because he didn't want anything established if the guy thought anything would be between them.

"It's been...awhile," his partner rasped out just as they were tumbling onto the bed together. He felt the guy was almost the same as his own body build, and each line and reaction traced made it all the more pleasant. "I didn't think I'd end up with -"

Sasuke grunted and undulated his hips upwards, pushing his pelvis closer to his partner's, the friction increasing each spark and rendering his body wild - before it was all ruined by the sound of the calm but startling knock on the door. He growled when he looked over his lover's shoulder, scowling at the insulting voice on the other side. "Sasuke, my foolish brother, I know you are in there!" _Itachi, you selfish bastard..._

What the hell was his brother doing here, and how the HELL did he find out he was here?! "Go away, asshole!" he shouted back. "I'm busy, so would you come back later?"

There was a soft growl. "Not when I came all this way to make sure you are not making an even greater fool of yourself," Itachi replied.

"Your brother?" the man above him asked curiously. Sighing sharply, Sasuke slid out from under him and reached to grab his boxers, disregarding his pants entirely. He intended to make Itachi go away if he had something to say about it. He was a grown man, he didn't need his brother watching his back anymore.

Casually and smirking, enjoying the way Itachi's face turned red and his jaw clenched, Sasuke leaned against the doorframe, one hand on his hip. " _Aniki,_ " he drawled, "you could have just called me before you tracked me down."

His brother and boss ignored him and looked over his shoulder to sniff distastefully at the blond getting out of bed to put his pants on. "Track you down is an understatement, _otouto_ ," he replied blandly. "You think I will let my younger brother get himself involved with unprotected sex just when he is going through a divorce - or is it already finalized without my knowledge?" He raised a delicate eyebrow.

Sasuke's temper broke with a vengeance. "What business is it to you? What Sakura and I did was between ourselves -" He stopped then and there. "How did you know about that?"

Behind him, the man he was about to get busy with, before this bastard who ruined his life interrupted him, had finally dressed and brushed himself off, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry, Uchiha-san, but I guess I should go and let you both sort this out. It was nice...knowing you, Sasuke," was all he said, unable to make eye contact with either brother, buttoning the last of his shirt as he hurried out past the seething Itachi. His eyes blazed, but the rest of his face was composed. His voice was low and lethal, like a snake ready to strike.

"Sasuke, you really have made a fool of yourself. You leave your wife like a coward to go gallivanting around town looking for quickies with strange men now, is it?"

Sasuke raised his fist, wanting to punch the asshole, but his fist was dodged and caught in the palm like it was nothing. "You have no right to stick your nose in my business! I may work beside you, but this is something I mind for myself!" He furiously pulled his hand out of his brother's hold and turned to grab his jeans to carelessly yank them on. Itachi closed the door behind him. "How the hell did you know about the divorce? Did Sakura tell you?" he sneered.

"She told me nothing," Itachi answered, calmly leaning back against the door. "But your daughter overheard a very...interesting conversation that she is coming to doubt the two of you." He stiffened. Sarada had heard them...damn it! And they'd tried to protect her from this. "Not that I hold you to a fault for attempting to protect her, but this is the most selfish act you have done, Sasuke. I am ashamed of you."

The words stung home as they did that night he had been told by his big brother at the tender age of thirteen when his world changed. "You're ashamed of me," he stated. "Just what I'd expect to hear from you. Why do you care what guy I sleep with now, huh? You were the one who told me that I would bring down the family name a long time ago. Why do you care about me when you destroyed my heart?!" Said heart was crumbling all over again. Maybe he did have too much to drink, but he was so sick of keeping it all in. He hated Itachi for being the catalyst...or did he? He long ago shut off that notion of love that teenagers mistook, for adulthood was far more complicated.

He had been looking down at the floor when Itachi answered him - and had come to sit down beside him. The weight of the bed shifted. Flinching, he slipped away by an inch. Itachi stayed where he was. "I did it because it was best for you," he said lowly, heatedly. "You were only thirteen years old and confused. Do you want me to repeat what I said to you?"

"No, I want you to leave me the hell alone."

"You're acting like that child again," Itachi growled. "How do you think Sarada will feel if she sees you like this? You think you have done enough to her?"

 _You have NO idea I did it for her!_ " _I_ did enough to her?! I did this FOR her!" he shouted, turning around and facing him full-on. "She had nothing to do with what was a fault between her mother and myself. She won't grow up living a lie, having two parents who never really loved each other but stayed together only for her sake." No, he could never do that to her. He could never endure it on his half, either, and he was sick of pretending for his wife. He did this for both of them, and at least Sakura understood even if it broke her heart. But he knew her enough to know she would soon be over and she would be strong for Sarada. He wouldn't stop seeing them, either.

His wounds had been reopened when it took so many years to close them all by himself...but the scars that lingered never vanished.

The nerve when Itachi placed his hand on his shoulder! He hissed and tried to pull away, but his elder brother wouldn't let it go. "All these years, Sasuke...and why did you just proceed into this marriage if you were afraid to...come out?" he asked carefully, then sighed sharply. "Don't answer that; it was a great fault of mine."

"It damn well was, Itachi." He stood up, shrugging off the touch - which had left a warm, sizzling effect in his skin and nerves, making him feel uncomfortably hot, like when he was thirteen. He would NOT let that get to him again. "I married my best friend because I thought I could get over what you did to me, but I had been wrong all this time. I lived like this and can't take it anymore. Sakura knows about this; she's always known...but she doesn't know it was you," he said, finishing with the last of the buttons of his shirt.

"When did you tell her?" Itachi questioned, leaning back a little, hands spread out on either side of himself on the messed bed.

"Five months ago," Sasuke confessed, turning his back to check his reflection in the mirror. "She'd known for some time before then."

Itachi said nothing, but he saw in the mirror how his brother avoided looking at him now, instead gazing off to the opposite wall. "I see," he said at last. There was a pregnant pause which rattled his nerves before he forced himself to calm down. _I don't...remember the last time I ever told my big brother how I felt before I lost trust in him, when it didn't have to do with my daughter or the company..._

"Sarada is in the car. She's probably getting impatient and wondering what is going on," Itachi stated then and there, changing the subject altogether. "So, do you plan to stay here, or are you going with your family?"

~o~

"Daddy is fine," he told Sarada when he returned to the car. "He's following us back to the flat." She looked at him with narrowed eyes. She'd been sitting here for under half an hour, the air conditioner on, and she'd begun to get worried. She had chosen to stay in the car, though, like he firmly instructed.

Sarada saw with him her father getting on his motorcycle, then turned in the direction of the car and nodded as well as waved for him to lead the way back. Itachi returned the signal and started the engine to get them out of here. When they got back to the apartment, he had no doubt where it would go when father and daughter talked...

"What is a divorce, Dad?" she demanded as soon as they were there. She wasn't afraid to get in trouble, for once, because she deserved to know what was going on between him and her mother. Sasuke sighed. He decided he wasn't going to keep it from her, and where was Sakura to help? "You and Mom aren't going to keep this from me forever. You're not going back home with us, are you?" Her wide eyes watered which broke his heart - and Itachi's. He silently walked over to his personal bar to grab the sake.

"Sarada, don't hate me."

She huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Hate you for what? Were you the one to decide to...leave us?" she asked in a broken whisper which made Itachi flinch, his back to them, and he wasn't surprised when he turned halfway to see his brother's eyes bulging in shock.

Sasuke was right in front of her, gently taking her by the forearms and making her look him in the eyes. "Sarada Uchiha, I left your mother. But I NEVER left you. There is a difference between leaving the one you used to love as well as your entire family." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Adult relationships are much harder than you would think at your age, but that doesn't mean that I stopped loving the only child I have." He reopened his eyes giving her a weak smile that she tried and failed to return. "Someday you'll understand this, but in the meantime, as difficult as it will be, we're all going to be happy again."

She seemed to accept that - for now - but she had more questions. "Will you and Mom...get back together?" That was the hardest one ever, and one Sasuke struggled internally to answer but got out the best he could.

"I don't know."

The rest of the evening was...fairly quiet, and Sarada didn't want to do anything with her father or uncle tonight, much to the grim knowledge. But she did have dinner with them - except Sasuke had it with her mother before he'd gone out to do...that. And with her going right to sleep, it was time for the brothers to have their discussion, and they had to keep their voices down.

They took it in Itachi's room, which rang yellow lights.

He shouldered the blame onto himself because it was his entire life. He let Sasuke go because he wanted better for his _otouto_ , but instead of pursuing another man who filled his preferences, he chose to wed a female who was close to his heart if not in the way he deserved. He woke up one morning and realized that he couldn't do this forever. Even if it meant hurting his wife and daughter, but it was for the best. Sasuke's heart never left the one person who had spurned him at a young age.

Itachi had his share of relationships, but none ever lasted long. It was always obvious what women wanted in a man, and as for men, some had the same agenda but others could hardly ever keep up with him. His mind always had Sasuke no matter how hard he tried to shove it to the darkness of his subconscious. He never admitted to anyone, but he was never...happy.

Behind closed doors, he cried his tears after he and Sasuke had a disagreement, even with their father's schemes brought to the surface. Sasuke had saved not only his family but their town. He should have been proud of him, and he WAS.

Which was why, now, as soon as Sasuke closed the bedroom door, Itachi let his first real tear shed before his brother. _Not counting the day Sarada was born._ This stunned the younger Uchiha. "Itachi...you...you're crying. You've never done that..."

"No," he admitted. "I never did."

"I find it hard to believe."

He nodded. "I know." He turned his back to his brother for the moment, going over to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling his shoes and socks off. Sasuke followed him and did the same ritual. They both knew what was going to happen, even if they did "agree" there would be more talking about this - but had there been enough of that in many years? Too much distance? Too much frustration and pain? Too long listening to society's rules out of fear...?

 _I refuse to bring down any more trouble on this family I love so much. If Sarada were to find out about us as well, we'd betray her moreso than her parents' separation. She does not deserve this. I love her so much she will be protected._

It was here and now that Itachi could no longer hold back. He sensed Sasuke wanted to make the first move, but he was doing the same thing. So Itachi leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Sasuke. It started sweet with a little sizzle on his lips, and from the soft gasp, Sasuke was feeling the same.

"Itachi...it felt..."

He silenced him with another kiss. "No more talking, Sasuke," he breathed against the other's mouth. He broke off the contact then to walk over to his door, turning the lock so they would not be interrupted. Sarada was nine years old and could sleep well alone. She was currently in the guest room. _This is wrong,_ his subconscious was whispering to him. But he pushed it to the back of his mind and returned to Sasuke's side, just as the younger was turning off the lights. He slid off the bed then and there while unbuttoning his shirt, Itachi doing the same, but as soon as both were finished with the deed, they were onto each other again with more passionate kisses, hand slipping beneath each other's opened shirts. Tracing each line of muscle and finding soft, sensitive spots here and there. Nipples hardened. Sparks of fire were exchanged, forged by years of separation, of anger and hate, frustration and longing...all ending here at the end of that long road.

Sasuke latched onto the band that held his long hair together, and he pulled it out to let raven hair fall free like silk. Itachi's shirt was pried from his body, and then his belt was fiddled with before his trousers and underwear slid down his legs. But he was too focused on getting Sasuke undressed to notice, before his hands sensed everything belonging to his brother that would soon be his.

 _He was supposed to be hers, but when I enter that place I shouldn't be, it will be another story. We were always meant to be...and time hadn't changed anything._

Sasuke murmured against his neck when he moved forward to rub his naked body against Itachi's, the elder's arms coming to wrap around his waist. "Take me to bed, Itachi..." He ran a hand through Itachi's long hair, briefly ghosting over the back of his neck and sending shivers up his spine. He gave into his younger brother's request and guided them both over to the bed where they consummated their prohibited relationship.

~o~

Three months passed.

Sasuke moved in with his brother, now his secret lover, when the divorce was officially finalized, and today followed life somehow getting back to normal. It would take some years to come for Sarada to come to terms with her parents' separation, but she was still happy to see they would come together on occasion.

Today Itachi invited them all to dinner at his apartment. The girl happily embraced both her father and uncle. Her mother followed, smiling lightly, having gotten off her shift at the hospital, tired but blushing and pleased her family was spending a Friday evening as if nothing was ever wrong to begin with.

However, she did take note with the way her ex-husband and brother-in-law looked at each other. She hadn't begun seeing anyone since the divorce, and Sasuke had mentioned he'd been seeing someone, but never identified who, and she hadn't cared. But the way he and his brother...

She decided to brush it off like it was nothing, as long as Sarada wouldn't accidentally come across it like she did, overhearing her and Sasuke at the wrong time. _It's going to be fine,_ she assured herself over and over throughout the pleasant evening.

 **Everyone needs to know I AM aware Sasuke is happily married to Sakura in canon, and he loves his daughter so much. Yes, no one is gonna convince me otherwise - but this idea could never leave me alone. Just because you write incest and yaoi does NOT mean you condone it, remember that. I'm sorry for sounding nasty, but it's the truth.**


End file.
